VIDEO: This is why United can't lose focus for a second against Bayern

Manchester United may have watched Bayern Munich's last match and thought they could be held, and then they scored twice in the last eight minutes.

For 82 minutes, it looked as though Mainz 05 were going to do something only two sides had done in the Bundesliga all season – hold Bayern Munich to a draw.

With time ticking down and the scoreboard showing 0-0, the side then in fifth place must have started believing they were on the verge of a mini-triumph against a side who have proved all but infallible under Pep Guardiola; although to be honest they were just as devastating under Jupp Heynckes.

And then Bayern scored…twice…and any hope that they would slip up despite having the title all but sewn up was gone.

First Bastian Schweinsteiger and then Mario Gotze fired Bayern to a 2-0 victory, meaning they have still only dropped four points all season.

Only Bayer Leverkusen and Freiburg have held the reigning champions to a draw. And despite Mainz going close, Bayern showed exactly why Manchester United must remain focused from the first whistle to the last if they hope to overcome them in the Champions League.

Many have already written off United’s chance given their struggles to date under David Moyes. But to say they have no chance simply because they have fallen short so far is foolish in the extreme.

Yes, Bayern are superior in almost every department, but United have the firepower to score both home and away, and Moyes will no doubt be using the tie to prove he is exactly the right man for the job.

But as Bayern showed on Saturday, it is one thing holding them until almost the end of the game, and quite another being level at the final whistle.

Vincent Ralph

After graduating with a degree in English Literature, Vincent completed a NCTJ-accredited qualification in newspaper and magazine journalism in 2005. He has worked for HITC for four years and is now Head of Editorial and Journalist Standards.